(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a manually operable spray dispenser for dispensing liquid substances from a container. In particular, the present invention is a trigger spray dispenser or trigger sprayer capable of dispensing liquid in an upright, a downturned, or an inverted orientation. Further, the trigger sprayer is constructed so as to prevent liquid from leaking through the trigger sprayer vent passage when in any of the three orientations regardless of the level of the liquid in the container.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Generally, trigger sprayers are only operable in an upright orientation with the dispenser housing positioned above the container. Trigger sprayers typically have a vent passage to prevent a vacuum from developing in the container as liquid is withdrawn. If the trigger sprayer is operated in a downturned orientation with the dispenser housing positioned beside the container to dispense liquid directly downward, liquid will often leak through the vent passage of the trigger sprayer.
The trigger sprayers usually employ a dip tube extending from the trigger sprayer housing to a distal end of the tube at the bottom of the container. The dip tube draws liquid from the container no matter what the liquid level so long as the sprayer is in the upright orientation. Depending upon the amount of liquid in the container, the distal end of the dip tube may be raised above the level of the liquid when the trigger sprayer is positioned in any orientation other than upright. With the dip tube raised out of the liquid, the trigger sprayer will dispense the liquid remaining in the dip tube as the trigger is actuated, but once the liquid in the dip tube has been dispensed further trigger actuation will result in only air being dispensed from the container. Thus, when a typical trigger sprayer is operated in the inverted orientation with the sprayer housing positioned below the container, liquid will leak through the sprayer vent passage and the end of the dip tube will project above the level of liquid in the container resulting in only air being dispensed once the liquid in the dip tube has been dispensed.
Several trigger sprayers have been designed for operation in both upright and inverted orientations. Their designs prevent the liquid in the container from leaking through the triger sprayer vent passage when held in an inverted orientation. These trigger sprayers also continue to supply liquid to the trigger sprayer pump chamber when they are held in an inverted orientation even with the end of the dip tube projecting above the level of the liquid in the container. However, these trigger sprayers are only designed to operate with the sprayers positioned in the upright or inverted orientations. When these trigger sprayers are operated in a downturned orientation with the nozzle of the trigger sprayer pointed directly downward and the container positioned beside the sprayer housing, the liquid in the container will often leak through the vent passage of the trigger sprayer. Furthermore, many of the trigger sprayers designed to operate in an inverted orientation will draw air instead of liquid from the container if operated in a downturned orientation.